Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Creamy Carrot Soup

     Carrot soup usually contains some amount of whipping cream and/or sour cream. These are delicious additions, and I highly recommend them as condiments (i.e. available on the table for folks with no allergy to dairy, not in the soup). Freshly squeezed lemon juice is an excellent alternative condiment, and chopped parsley leaves are a great garnish because they add just the right herbal note to the soup.
     Carrots are a starchy vegetable: this soup is thick and creamy without the addition of flour or any other starch.

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     3 Tb. oil (See Oil in the Glossary)
     1 onion, chopped
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     2 cloves garlic, sliced
     1 Tb. peeled, grated fresh ginger
     4 c. chicken stock (See Broth in the Glossary)
     1 lb. carrots, trimmed (These will cook faster if halved or quartered 

          lengthwise.)

     Gently saute the onion in the oil with a good sprinkle of salt; do not brown. When the onion is soft and translucent, add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, until the garlic is softened up but not browned. Add the ginger, chicken stock and carrots; bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until the carrots are thoroughly soft. Puree thoroughly, in batches, in a blender. Adjust salt. Garnish with parsley if you like.

Corn-Free, Dairy-Free Caramel Sauce

    

Glass jars are perfect for storing caramel sauce.

 

     The distinctive flavor of caramel comes from cooking sugar at a high temperature. Unfortunately, both cane sugar and beet sugar consist of sucrose, which has a nasty tendency to recrystallize while you're cooking it  If any bit of the sugar turns back into crystals, the rest quickly follows suit, leaving you with a mess that can't be salvaged. The addition of even a small amount of syrup made up of certain other sugars can prevent this.  Corn syrup is basically glucose and works like a charm, which is why practically everything "caramel" has corn syrup in it. Rice syrup has a couple of other sugars (no sucrose) and works fine too. Rice syrup has a pleasant flavor of its own, one I think actually adds a deep, rich note to the taste of caramel. Note that some rice syrup is not gluten-free, as the processing involves enzymes which may have been derived from barley. Watch for gluten-free syrup if this is an issue.

     1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk (See Coconut and Milk in the Glossary)

     1/4 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     (optional) 1/2 vanilla bean or 1 cinnamon stick

     1 c. sugar (See Sugar in the Glossary)

     1/4 c. rice syrup*

     3 Tb. water

     6 Tb. palm oil shortening

     Put the coconut milk and salt in a small saucepan. This is your chance to add other flavors without including corn alcohol from extracts. Put in a cinnamon stick, or slice a vanilla bean lengthwise and toss it in. Experiment with other flavorings if you like (chipotle, cloves, whatever). Heat to boiling and turn down to a simmer.  

This is the color you want your syrup
 to reach.  Time to take it off the heat.

   In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar, rice syrup and water on medium high heat, stirring just until the sugar is completely dissolved. The mixture will then foam, bubble and, after a few minutes, start to turn darker.  When it turns the right shade of golden brown, take it off the heat. Pluck any vanilla bean or cinnamon stick out of the coconut milk mixture, and immediately whisk the coconut milk into the syrup.  Stir in the palm oil until it is really, thoroughly blended in (otherwise you will have lumps in your caramel sauce).  Refrigerate.

See the oily shine on top?
This caramel sauce needs
more whisking while it is
still hot.

*Note that some rice syrup is not gluten-free, as the processing involves enzymes which may have been derived from barley. Watch for gluten-free syrup if this is an issue.

Soy-Free Veggie Fried Rice

     Fried rice is one food you pretty much have to make for yourself if you can't have soy sauce. This version has plenty of seasoning but no soy, corn, sesame, or eggs. Obviously, you can have soy sauce (See Soy Sauce in the Glossary) and toasted sesame seeds on the side as condiments for the non-allergic. You can also cut a two-egg plain omelette into chunks and stir it into some or all the rice at the end if you like.

    To vary the recipe, replace some of the veggies with chunks of meat or mushroom (stir-fried separately, set aside, and added near the end of the cooking time). 

Fried rice with carrot, celery, broccoli stems and green tomatoes
(the veggies I had sitting in the fridge: this recipe is versatile)

     2 Tb. oil, any variety to which you are not allergic and which tolerates high 

          heat. (See Oil in the Glossary)

     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     3 c. hard veggies either all cut into chunks or all sliced thin, so that they 

          all get done at the same time (carrots, celery, cauliflower, onion, or 

          whatever you like and aren’t allergic to)

     3 c. cooked rice (See Rice in the Glossary)

     1 batch stir-fry sauce but leave out the tapioca starch.

     Heat the oil to medium high heat in a large skillet. (It is hot enough when a chunk of food sizzles and sputters when it is added to the pan.)  Add the veggies, sprinkle them with salt, and fry, stirring constantly, until they are softened but still crunchy.  Do not brown them. Add the rice and continue to cook on medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the rice is thoroughly hot.  Add the stir-fry sauce and continue to cook, stirring, for a few seconds, until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Serve immediately.

Vinegar-Free, Citrus-Free Cranberry Salad Dressing

     Cranberries have all the tartness and fruitiness needed to wake up a salad.  This easy salad dressing is also a brilliant, deep pink. Cranberries not being very sweet, they tend not to have much yeast growing on them. If you're concerned about the small amount that might be present, see Produce in the Glossary.



     1 c. fresh (or thawed frozen) cranberries
     1 c. olive oil  (See Oil in the Glossary)
     1 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     1 tsp. tarragon leaves
     1/2 tsp. black pepper (See Spices in the Glossary)

     Discard any berries that have started to go off.  Also take out any berries that have green spots (the blender may have trouble grinding them up). 
  
     Combine all ingredients in a good blender; blend thoroughly.
     

Sushi Rolls

     Most sushi contains a variety of allergens: fish, yeast and possibly corn (in the vinegar), sesame, etc.  You can, however, make excellent sushi without any of these ingredients. Using a bit of lime juice in place of the usual vinegar does no harm to the flavor.

     1 c. rice (See Rice  in the Glossary) Sushi rice, being sticky, does an 

          excellent job of holding a sushi roll together, but  other  rice can be 

          substituted. 
     1 tsp. salt (See Salt in the Glossary)
     2 Tb. sugar (See Sugar in the Glossary)
     3 Tb. white vinegar (See Vinegar in the Glossary) or 2 Tb. freshly 

          squeezed lime juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     (totally optional) 1/4 c. sesame seeds—1 Tb. sesame seeds per sushi roll 

          containing  sesame seeds 
     4 sheets of nori (some nori has sesame seed oil on it: read the label)
     2 or 3 filling ingredients (your choice of raw fish—ask your grocer which fish are ok for sushi, slivered green onions, slivered raw carrot, cucumber strips  [See Produce in the Glossary], corn-free, yeast-free marinated daikon, slightly cooked spinach or whatever else you feel like using and aren't allergic to)

     Cook the rice according to the directions on the package. Stir in the salt, sugar and vinegar or lime juice. Put the sesame seeds in a small pan over high heat and toast them, stirring constantly. As soon as the seeds are lightly browned, pour them out into a bowl so that the hot saucepan does not continue to cook them. Arrange your ingredients and a bamboo sushi rolling thing in front of you and you are ready to assemble the sushi rolls.  

Getting ready to make sushi with slivered green
onion, daikon pickle and carrot

     Use a wooden paddle (or the back of a big spoon) to spread ¼ of the rice onto the less shiny side of a sheet of nori, leaving one end of the nori uncovered.  

     Sprinkle 1/4 of the sesame seeds on top of the rice. If you need some of the rolls to be sesame-free, make those first, before there are stray seeds lying about your work area.

    Arrange the filling ingredients in a line on top of the rice.  Roll up using a bamboo rolling thing such that the uncovered end of the nori is on the top and can stick to the layer of nori below it, sealing the roll.

Ready to roll

     Slice with a sharp knife and serve with wasabi and/or Sushi Dipping Sauce.

Soy-Free, Corn-Free, Sesame-Free, Fermentation-Free Stir-Fry Sauce and Sushi Dipping Sauce

     The purpose of stir-fry sauce is to add deep savory flavors, lively seasoning and texture to stir-fries.  This can be accomplished without soy, sesame, corn or fermentation products (soy sauce, coconut aminos, or vinegar). The sauce produced by the recipe given here, though not quite conventional, is tasty and has just the right level of tartness. By all means bring soy sauce and sesame oil out as condiments for those who aren't allergic to them. 


Stir-Fry Sauce

     4 c. chicken or beef stock (See Broth in the Glossary)
     3 Tb. freshly squeezed lime juice  (See Juice in the Glossary)
     good sprinkle of black pepper (See Spices in the Glossary)
     1 knob of ginger, peeled and chopped fine
     3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
     salt to taste--the amount will vary according to how much salt was in the 

          stock (See Salt in the Glossary)

     1/2 Tb. or so tapioca starch, depending on how much you want the sauce 

          to thicken

     Reduce the stock to ½ cup; i.e., boil it until only ½ cup is left.  Stir in the remaining ingredients. Add to a stir-fry that is otherwise ready, then cook for a few seconds, until the sauce thickens.


Sushi Dipping Sauce

     For a condiment that perfectly complements sushi and egg rolls, follow the recipe above but leave out the tapioca starch and stir in 2 Tb. of gluten-free rice syrup. Note that some rice syrup is not gluten-free, as the processing involves enzymes which may have been derived from barley. Watch for gluten-free syrup if this is an issue. 

Korean Brown Rice Tea

     Besides being a classic hot beverage with a mellow, toasty flavor, Korean brown rice tea can be enjoyed by most allergy sufferers, as it contains a single ingredient:

     short-grained brown rice (See Rice  in the Glossary) 

      If you're allergic to corn, use a brand of rice that doesn't have corn added. ("Enriched" rice generally has added corn.)     Pour a bowl of the rice into a saucepan or skillet over high heat (not the highest setting, but close to it).  Keep the bowl next to the stove. Stir the rice constantly until it is toasted. It should be nicely browned but not scorched, and some of the grains of rice should be popping open. Indeed, it should smell a bit like popcorn cooking (but not burnt popcorn). As soon as the rice is toasted, pour it back into the bowl so that the hot skillet does not continue to cook it.

   

Toasted rice

     To prepare, stir toasted rice into boiling water (one tablespoon or so of rice per cup of water) and keep the water hot for 15 or 20 minutes so the rice can steep.